Colorful Red, White and Blue Desserts for July 4th

Some people like to go crazy with red, white and blue decorations to celebrate the 4th of July, and while it is fun to go crazy with patriotic colors when decorating, the celebrations are still always about the food for me. Fortunately, the fresh fruits and veggies available during the summer mean that 4th of July meals are often just as colorful as the decor. The typical 4th of July celebration starts with great ribs, burgers and summer salads before moving on to dessert. If you want to incorporate some red, white and blue into your meal, dessert is the best place to start and any of these recipes will make a wonderful finale to a summer feast.

Red, White and Blue Berry Yogurt Cake is a moist white cake that is studded with colorful blueberries and raspberries. It’s a delicious use of in-season fruit and the berries add beautiful pops of color to the cake. Fresh berries also make a nice garnish for the cake before serving.

Panna cottas are an excellent dessert option in the summer because they are served chilled and can be made well in advance, with minimal cooking. Red, White and Blue Panna Cottas deliver a lot of color and are very playful twist on what is usually a serious, sophisticated dessert. The panna cotta has a vanilla bean base and is flavored with blue curacao, red grenadine and triple sec.

If you’re looking for a cool dessert on a hot 4th of July, look no further than these Red, White and Blue Pudding Pops. The homemade vanilla popsicles are much better than the pudding pops you remember from when you were a kid, and fresh strawberries and blueberries contrast perfectly with the creamy pudding. Make a double batch, as these will get eaten up quickly!

Red, White and Blue Push Pop Cakes are another dessert where the colors come from fresh fruit. The treats are assembled in push pop molds, with layers of cake, whipped cream, diced strawberries and fresh blueberries. As you push up the pop containers, you’ll enjoy layer after layer of color and flavor. If you don’t have molds like these, you can also turn the desserts into little trifles by assembling them in a regular dessert cups!

A batch of Red, White and Blue Whoopie Pies is sure to be a crowd pleaser, both for adults and kids. These colorful cake-like cookies are sandwiched together with vanilla buttercream, which creates the white layer in between the red and blue cookies. You can also turn these into ice cream sandwiches for a chillier treat by using vanilla ice cream instead of buttercream as a filling.

Red, White and Blue Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries are easy to make and are always a huge hit when you need a dessert with a little color. Fresh strawberries are dipped first in melted white chocolate, then finished with a second dip into bright blue sanding sugar. Strawberries and white chocolate work well together, and the blue sugar really catches your eye when these are plated.